Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a seal for a container and, more particularly, to a seal for a container holding a cream, gel, powder, liquid, solid or other substance that allows the aroma or scent of the substance in the container to permeate the seal while maintaining the barrier properties of the seal and preventing leakage of the substance within the container.
Description of the Related Art
Seals have been commonly used on containers for many years, to prevent leakage or contamination of the substance within the container and to increase the shelf life of the product. For example, seals are used on containers containing cosmetics, foods, drinks, medicines and other items in the form of creams, gels, powders, liquids and other substances. Seals used for this purpose are typically placed over the opening on the container or, in some instances, within the cap on the container.
However, consumers often want to smell items having a fragrance or aroma, such as lotions, creams, body washes, shampoos, deodorants, perfumes, laundry detergents, air fresheners, coffee and spices, before purchasing the items. As a result, many products are sold today without seals because there is no commercially viable seal on the market today that allows consumers to smell the scent of the product within the container. Specifically, prior art seals are essentially hermetic seals intended to prevent leakage of the product from the container and to limit air flow into and out of the container to preserve the product and maximize the product's shelf life. In so doing, they trap the scent or aroma of the product within the container.
By limiting air flow into and out of the container, these prior art hermetic seals also often result in pressure build-up within the container that may cause the container to expand and collapse based on changes in the surrounding environmental conditions. Although venting seals have been developed to address the pressure build-up problem, these venting seals were not designed for scent permeation purposes and, therefore do not provide the ability to smell the scent of the product in a cost effective manner. As a result, scented products are often sold in containers without seals, so that consumers can remove the cap and smell the scent prior to purchase. The fact that many scented products are still sold in containers without seals today is evidence that the prior art seals do not allow adequate scent permeation in a cost effective manner.
The absence of a seal increases the possibility of spillage during transportation and the chances that a product may be tampered with or tainted prior to sale to the consumer. It is not uncommon for consumers to go beyond simply removing the cap and smelling the item, by actually applying some of the product onto their body to sample the product and its fragrance. In so doing, the consumer may stick their fingers into the substance or on the opening where the substance comes out. Oftentimes, after sampling the product, the consumer closes the cap and returns the container to the shelf in the store.
This sampling of the product causes several problems. From the consumer's perspective, by placing their fingers into the substance and/or coming in contact with the opening where the substance comes out, the sampler may be contaminating the substance and spreading germs/bacteria. Additionally, each time a consumer samples the product and then returns it to the shelf, the volume of the substance within the container decreases. As a result, the consumer that eventually purchases the product is unknowingly purchasing less than a full container of a product that may have been contaminated and/or contain germs/bacteria.
From the retailer's perspective, consumers that sample products and then return them to the shelf sometimes do not place the cap on tightly, which may result in spillage if the container is tilted or falls on its side. Additionally, the shelf life of the substance within the container may be reduced or altered by the absence of a seal on the container or having been opened and exposed to the surrounding environmental conditions by a sampling consumer prior to sale. Also, the absence of a seal on a container may result in the substance contacting and/or accumulating within the cap on the container, which may cause spillage when the cap is removed and a less appealing presentation to the consumer. These situations may result in the retailer being unable to sell the product or generating product returns or charge-backs, which may have an adverse effect on the retailer's, product manufacturer's or distributor's reputation and financial performance. Additionally, the retailer, manufacturer and/or distributor may incur liability if a consumer is harmed by the contaminated product.
There have been some attempts over the years to address this problem. More particularly, some venting and/or scent emitting seals have been made wherein a one piece, multi-layer induction seal is completely perforated and an additional membrane (not part of an induction seal) is bonded over the perforation. Specifically, one product utilizes a polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membrane in a section of the liner to allow air to enter and exit the container for venting purposes, while preventing leakage of the substance from within the container. One such induction liner is made by PERFORMANCE SYSTEMATIX INC. However, this product has not proved to be a commercially viable solution because it requires a complex manufacturing process to embed the ePTFE membrane within a cutout section of the liner, the cost of which is significantly greater than the cost to manufacture a conventional seal. It also does not provide the barrier properties provided by conventional seals that are required to restrict air flow into and out of the container, which adversely affects the shelf life of some products. Again, the fact that many scented products are still sold in containers without seals today is evidence that the prior art seals do not provide the combination of scent permeation, leak prevention and barrier property characteristics, in a cost effective manner, desired by product manufacturers today.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a seal for containers that allows the scent or aroma from the substance within the container to come through, while preventing leakage of the substance and maintaining the barrier properties necessary to maximize the shelf life of the product. What is further needed is an induction seal that accomplishes the foregoing purpose, without the need for adding additional membranes or materials to the induction seal. Any such seal should be capable of use with any type of container and any type of substance stored within the container. Such a seal should also be capable of being manufactured at a cost comparable to the cost of current conventional seals. The present invention is particularly suited to overcome those problems which remain in the art in a manner not previously known.